In 2025-2026, ULB will host 11 CIVIS blended-intensive programmes

Four programs in Spring 2025

In the spring of 2025, four academics from ULB will welcome students from across the alliance for four interdisciplinary programs. Students can apply to participate until May 4, 2025.

Euro-African Trade and Investment Relations and the Polycrisis
As part of the Jean Monnet project "PolyCIVIS," involving 21 universities, ULB, through the Institute of European Studies, will host students from June 12 to 16, 2025, for a BIP on trade and investment relations between the European Union and Africa. Coordinated by academics and researchers Chloé Brière and Laura Puccio from the Institute of European Studies, this program is a collaboration with Paris Lodron University of Salzburg, Makerere University, the University of Bucharest, the University of Lausanne, Eduardo Mondlane University, and Egerton University.

EU Decision Making and its Institutions: Discover the Heart of Brussels
From May 19 to 23, 2025, Andrew Edgel, English lecturer at ULB Langues, will coordinate a BIP on European institutions, in collaboration with the universities of Tübingen and Bucharest. Over five days, around twenty students will work on the major challenges facing the European Union. They will role-play as consultants to the European Parliament (EP), the European Commission (EC), the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), and the European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO). This program will be renewed in the spring of 2026 and will address transatlantic issues.

Radiotheranostics in Nuclear Medicine
Professor Erwin Woff will coordinate a BIP on radiotheranostics, in partnership with Aix-Marseille University, the University of Athens, and the University of Tübingen. This program will provide students with a solid foundation in radiotherapy, while also offering practical experience in the radiopharmacy lab of the Nuclear Medicine Department at the Brussels University Hospital (H.U.B.).

Maternal and Neonatal Vaccination
Professor Arnaud Marchant, Director of the European Institute of Vaccinology Plotkin, and Pieter Pannus, PhD candidate and project manager at the Institute, have partnered with the University of Witwatersrand, the University of Bucharest, and the University of Athens to organize a BIP on maternal and neonatal vaccinology. This program, which will take place in South Africa in the summer of 2025, will welcome around twenty CIVIS and non-CIVIS students. It will also be held in July 2026 for its second edition.

8 new blended-intensive programmes coordinated by ULB for 2025-2026

In the latest funding call for blended-intensive programs launched by CIVIS in December 2024, 8 ULB projects were selected by the alliance. Some are renewals of existing programs, while others mark the creation of new interdisciplinary initiatives. These will take place between October 2025 and June 2026 at ULB. Furthermore, a total of 30 academics from the Université libre de Bruxelles are involved in BIPs coordinated by other universities within the alliance.

Strategic Foresight
Coordinated by the Jean Monnet project PolyCivis and under the coordination of Frederik Ponjaert (Institute of European Studies), this BIP is focused on the theme of polycrisis and aims to train students in strategic foresight. The goal is to provide them with tools to anticipate risks, explore possible futures, and help decision-makers build a more resilient and sustainable future. The program will take place from January 26 to 30, 2026, at ULB.

Healthy Urban System
Coordinated by research logistician Benjamin Wayens (Faculty of Science), and after its first edition in Lausanne, this program will host its second edition at ULB. Students will gain an in-depth understanding of urban systems, highlighting their impacts on human and environmental health, as well as the opportunities and challenges they generate.

Digital Balance and Mental Health Promotion
This program is an initiative of ULB, coordinated by Professor Sandra Tricas-Saura from the School of Public Health, in collaboration with the universities of Stockholm, Sapienza University of Rome, the University of Lausanne, and the University of Glasgow. It combines public health, psychology, and environmental sciences, aiming to raise awareness among students about the risks of excessive digital use and promote mental well-being through nature-based interventions.

Data, Cities, and Sustainability
This collaborative program is led by the ULB’s École Polytechnique under the direction of Professor Dimitris Sacharidis and FARI, co-directed by Carl Mörch. In partnership with Aix-Marseille University and the University of Tübingen, it offers an in-depth understanding of issues related to transportation and mobility management. It explores topics such as traffic data analysis, modeling and simulation of transport systems, and the challenges of artificial intelligence in optimizing them.

Cities, Spaces, and Mobilities
Designed for master's and doctoral students, this program offers advanced tools to tackle complex urban challenges by combining applied research, case studies, and experience sharing. It is led by the Faculty of Architecture La Cambre Horta, coordinated by Professor Judith Le Maire, in collaboration with the University of Athens, Sapienza University of Rome, Autonomous University of Madrid, University of Bucharest, University of Glasgow, Makerere University, and Hassan II University of Casablanca.

From Art Nouveau to Art Deco: Europe’s Cultural Transformation and Its Lessons for Today
Coordinated by Marcelle Rabinowicz, Dean of the Faculty of Architecture La Cambre Horta, this program will celebrate its fourth edition in October 2025. It will offer an in-depth exploration of the evolution of European architectural heritage, from Art Nouveau to Art Deco, highlighting the lessons for contemporary urban and cultural challenges. Discover the behind-the-scenes of its 2024 edition:

BIPs (Blended Intensive Programs) are a new format of Erasmus+ mobility. Each BIP combines online teaching with a short physical mobility period of five days (similar to a summer or winter school) at a CIVIS University, with students from across the entire alliance. These intensive moments provide students with a rich international academic experience, focusing on current topics and led by interdisciplinary teaching teams.

To learn more about BIPs: BIP - Blended Intensive Programs - ULB

For any questions about opportunities and funding within the CIVIS alliance, please contact Marie Ugeux (marie.ugeux@ulb.be).